The line graph illustrates the number of jobs in four economic sectors in the US over a 60-year period, from 1960 to 2020.
Overall, although the healthcare sector started with a minimal number of jobs, it experienced a steady rise and eventually became one of the leading sectors alongside retail. At the beginning of the period, manufacturing had the largest workforce, but it declined significantly after a few decades. Meanwhile, agriculture showed no major fluctuations.
In 1960, retail and agriculture employed a similar number of people, at approximately 6 million each. However, starting in 1980, a sharp divergence occurred between their trajectories: retail experienced a steady rise, while agriculture declined. By the end of the period, their figures had reached around 17 million and 2 million, respectively.
The manufacturing sector dominated the job market in 1960, standing at 15 million. By 1980, it had risen to a peak of 20 million – the highest figure of any sector – before starting a steady fall to approximately 13 million in 2020. In contrast, healthcare witnessed a constant and dramatic rise throughout the entire period. It began with roughly 3 million jobs in 1960 and finished with its highest count, at nearly 17 million.